I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the compacting, storage and removal of trash for industrial or commercial enterprises and multi-unit residential buildings, and more particularly, to a automated comprehensive trash compacting, storage and handling system which includes a through-the-wall storage container directly accessible for loading from the inside and for disposal from the outside of a building.
II. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of machines for the collection, compaction and storage of trash and refuse are available commercially and are disclosed in the literature. This includes many types and models of machines for compacting or baling trash along with various types of storage containers. These include the familiar steel dumpster located behind commercial buildings which have loosely fitting hinged lids and which are designed to be lifted by side ears and dumped periodically into compatibly designed hauling trucks. These systems require the compacted or uncompacted refuse, including paper and other solid waste together with garbage, to be hauled, usually by hand, from the building to the holding container where it may reside for several days prior to being removed. While this presents no particular problem with paper or other inert solid waste materials, this may lead to unsanitary conditions with respect to garbage or other refuse which spoils readily causing odors and attracting rodents, insects and other unwanted pests.
Available landfills for the disposal of garbage and solid wastes are rapidly being depleted and it is already apparent that within the foreseeable future the cost for disposing of garbage and solid waste materials will skyrocket; in some areas, landfills will be unavailable entirely. Even at this writing it is known that some restaurants and other food handling establishments have been forced to close because they could not cope with rising waste costs. This means that soon compaction, sorting and recycling will no longer be novelties or voluntary conservation efforts but will be the required modes of operation.
Commercial establishments dealing with food or garbage types of refuse which readily breed unsanitary conditions will no longer be able to simply store such wastes in open or flip-top metal containers behind the service establishments. It is contemplated that soon storage facilities for such refuse will have to be segregated, sealed and even refrigerated to maintain sanitary conditions on the premises. In some jurisdictions, apparently, this may be the law.
In addition to the rapidly increasing costs for disposing of waste materials in landfills, or the like, charges to commercial establishments for such services are usually made based on the frequency of pick-up and the volume, i.e., number of cubic yards of material based on the capacity of the dumpster. In some cases, the full charge is made regardless of the actual amount of material in the dumpster. Haulers charging by volume of material transported have been traditionally opposed to the use of trash compactors simply because they reduce the total volume of materials hauled. More recently, however, there has been evidence of an increasing trend toward utilizing weight as the criteria for refuse collection rather than volume. In this vein, the use of compaction as a part of an overall refuse treatment process is rising rapidly as the reduced volume is no longer a drawback to generating revenues for the haulers.
In view of the increasing pressure on landfills and other means of trash and refuse disposal, and the demand for recycling and more sanitary treatment of garbage, a great need exists for the provision of a comprehensive garbage and refuse treatment system which addresses the handling, storage and disposal of material in a manner which accommodates recycling and provides a sanitary and environmentally acceptable alternative to those in existence today.